Carcass washed ashore at Karachi beach identified as Risso’s dolphin

Photograph of dolphin’s carcass went viral on social media last week

KARACHI: Experts from the World Wildlife Fund Pakistan (WWF-P) identified on Tuesday the dead dolphin that was photographed by a citizen on Clifton Beach last week as Risso’s dolphin. The photograph of the dolphin had gone viral on social media.

According to WWF-P experts, the dolphin’s stocky body and blunt head with no discernible beak makes it distinguishable from other dolphin and whale species found in the Arabian Sea. The experts have maintained that the dolphin seemed to have died after getting entangled in fishing net.

Pakistan Whales and Dolphin Society President and WWF-P Marine Fisheries Technical Adviser Muhammad Moazzam Khan maintained that this Risso’s dolphin washing ashore at Clifton Beach was a rare occurrence because they preferred living in deep water and were usually found at the edge of continental shelves.



Khan also said that coastal squids and offshore species like purple back flying squids, found in abundance along the coast of Pakistan, were the main source of food for this dolphin species.
He, however, pointed out that because of the ongoing lockdown, it would not be possible to obtain the skeleton or tissue samples of the animal for genetic analysis.

Meanwhile, WWF-P Director and Regional Head Dr Babar Khan said that the death the dolphin was an unfortunate event.

Previously, skeletal remains of Risso’s dolphin were found thrice at Clifton Beach during early 2000s.

Risso’s dolphin, like other cetaceans, is mainly threatened by accidental mortality due to entanglement in fishing nets.

However, as result of WWF-Pakistan’s efforts, most fishermen, especially those engaged in tuna gillnetting in offshore waters, have shifted from surface gillnetting to subsurface operations, substantially reducing the mortality of cetaceans by getting in fishing nets.

According to Khan, the annual mortality of dolphins has decreased from 12,000 dolphins in 2014 to merely 60 in 2019. “This 99 per cent reduction in dolphin mortality indicates a positive impact of capacity building and raising awareness about conservation of biodiversity among fishermen,” he said.